WSB's Veronica Waters reports Michael Sullivan directed Atlanta's office of contract compliance, and said he had a close relationship with Mayor Campbell, often traveling with Campbell or attending high-profile events together.

In his second day of testimony, he told the jury that a contractor, Rickey Rowe, who often got work with the city once said "The Mayor is my ho." Sullivan testified he took that to mean Rowe believed he'd bought and owned the Mayor. Sullivan also said Rowe also once told him he would give Campbell cash for gambling trips.

Sullivan was ousted from his Atlanta position after a sexual harassment case and went to work as a consultant for United Water. Former Campbell campaign chief Kevin Ross, he testified, had given him the referral. Sullivan says United Water would "provide things of value" to Mayor Campbell and other top city officials. For example, he says, he would pay for rounds of golf on "nice courses" or dinners with Atlanta's then-chief operating officer, Larry Wallace. It was on a golfing excursion that Sullivan says Wallace asked him if he could arrange for United Water to "take care of" him and Mayor Campbell on a planned trip to Paris, France. He passed the request on to his superiors, and subsequently learned that Wallace and Campbell had made the trip.

In 1998, United Water landed a $21 million contract with the city. Sullivan acknowledged, however, that United Water's bid was actually the lowest—and no one had told them what to bid. Sullivan says the company paid Campbell's Super Bowl expenses in Florida that year.

It was also in 1998 that he says business owner Fred Prewitt told him "United Water should kick in $5,000 because he and the Mayor were going on a gambling trip to Tunica." Sullivan says he reported that to officials at his company, as well, but doesn't know what happened with that request.

In 1999, Sullivan says Campbell called him over for a meeting in which the Mayor told him he was concerned about the backlog United Water was mounting in uninstalled water meters. "He told me that he was very disappointed with United Water," testified Sullivan. "He was concerned that maybe we weren't up to the task of handling it. He was very forceful, very agitated."

Sullivan testified he was contacted by the FBI in the fall of 2000 and that he felt "incredible pressure" around that time.

Then, under a blistering cross-examination, defense attorney Jerry Froelich pointed out there was no documentation Sullivan had ever told FBI agents about the "ho" statement he claimed Rowe had made, and indicated the contractor used the term because he had easy access to City Hall—not because the mayor was "bought off." Then Froelich grilled Sullivan about $5,000 cash he got to help pay for escalating expenses on a house he was building. He testified the money was given to him by a friend, Hubert Owens, but he later came to understand the funds had been given to him by George Greene, who was also a city contractor.

Sullivan frequently said "I can't recall" when quizzed by Froelich, even on questions such as what his Atlanta salary had been, or when he got married. He said he didn't recall whether the Government had ever questioned him about whether he had sent Owens to get the money from Greene for him.

Sullivan acknowledged that when he had thousands of dollars in credit card debt and an estimated $36,000 in tax liens, he went to a credit repair specialist recommended by a friend. Sullivan said he paid $3,000 for the service during which he "signed some blank documents."

Froelich showed the jury copies of two W2s dated 1996 and 1997 which showed Sullivan made $146,000-$155,000 working for United Water. But Sullivan testified that he had only started working for United Water in 1998.

Sullivan told the jury he didn't recognize the documents. But he said he later found out he was approved to buy the Mercedes he wanted. A receipt shown to the jury listed the car's price at over $84,000. Sullivan said the FBI called him and confiscated the car.

"They asked me to drop the car off to them," Sullivan testified. "There was a man being investigated...I was not being investigated." Froelich then pointed out the first letter detailing a deal with the federal government for his cooperation investigating corruption at City Hall.

Sullivan said on two different occasions, he had referred firms to the city for bids on $20,000 contracts. One of the jobs was for a man to interview employees in the office of contract compliance about their workloads. Sullivan's wife was then working as the head of the contract compliance office.

When both referrals landed the bids, Sullivan said, he received what he called a "success fee" around $7,500. Sullivan said later, his friend DeWayne Martin—who worked as the Mayor's chief of staff—came to him and "told me he needed money for a personal matter." Sullivan said he gave Martin the money each time—he "couldn't recall" the amount--but refused to call the money a kickback.

Another time, Sullivan testified, Martin asked him to cash a check he would write on the account of a non-profit defense fund. Martin gave him "a couple thousand dollars" from that check for doing so, Sullivan said.

"It wasn't the best judgment," Sullivan said. "DeWayne was the chief of staff. He was my wife's boss. I wasn't in a position to alienate him."

Friday, 27 January 2006